During this difficult time in the world, we are continuing our efforts to make it a better place for all by reducing our carbon footprint one step at a time. Our goal is to become an environmentally friendly company and influence others to join us in protecting our beautiful destinations around the world.
We believe it is our responsibility to protect and preserve the beautiful planet that we love to share with our guests. Learn more about some of the green initiatives we have in place and a few new ones we are laying the groundwork for, too! This is just the start for Trek Travel, and we look forward to continuing to expand our sustainability efforts.
Going green at the office:
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- Green Miles: Our office staff is encouraged to commute to work by bike in order to reduce the amount of emissions we put into the atmosphere. Every team member who participates logs their daily mileage and earns a reward based on how many miles they commuted by bike in a year. In 2019, our team completed over 1,500 green miles!
— Does your company have a similar program you could participate in? If not, could you start one? Think about the impact you and your coworkers could have if you each swapped even one weekly commute to your bike! - Volunteer Time Off: Our employees are encouraged to support the local community through volunteering. Each employee receives paid time off to complete volunteer activities like park cleanups.
- Wind power: In order to reduce our carbon footprint, our office purchases wind power for our electricity as part of Madison Gas and Electric’s Green Power Tomorrow program.
- Eco-friendly kitchen updates: In order to reduce plastic waste in the office, we stocked our office kitchen will reusable utensils, plates, and cups instead of single-use options. We also replaced our water cooler with an sink filter system. We already have recycling in place but plan to implement a composting station in the near future as well to help put food waste to better use.
- Guide Clothing: During past Guide Training events, we held guide clothing swaps, where guides upcycle gently-used cycling clothing by gifting it to newer guides who want additional gear. Starting in 2021, we ordered guide clothing from more sustainable brands and the 2021 guide hat is even made from recycled materials. When it comes to supplying guide clothing, we set up an internal ordering system so guides can request only what they need instead of getting a pre-made pack with items they may not want. As much as possible, we send guide clothing out with our vans as they depart from our warehouses to reduce shipping and our carbon footprint.
- Catalogs: We print our catalogs on recycled paper to help minimize environmental impact, and in 2021, we took our catalog digital to save thousands of sheets of paper.
- Measuring our carbon footprint: We will be working with an outside organization in the coming months to officially measure our carbon footprint and determine the areas where we can reduce our impact.
- Green Miles: Our office staff is encouraged to commute to work by bike in order to reduce the amount of emissions we put into the atmosphere. Every team member who participates logs their daily mileage and earns a reward based on how many miles they commuted by bike in a year. In 2019, our team completed over 1,500 green miles!
Going green on our trips:
- Reduce Plastic Waste: We have banned single-use plastic water bottles and utensils on our trips and provide every guest reusable water bottles to use during and after our trips. We are in the midst of modifying our standard from two water bottles per guest to one and encouraging guests to bring their own bottles for us to fill. This could save up to 750 pounds of plastic annually.
- Reduce, Reuse, Upcycle We have started bike tube upcycling by finding local artisans that take used bike tires and tubes to create cool new products to sell.
- RWGPS To reduce the number of printed materials that we produce for every on of our trips, we have shifted to using Ride with GPS (RWGPS) to offer a simplified digital version of necessary trip information.
- Shopping Local As much as possible, our guides try to shop locally for supplies, food, and other items that are used on trips. This not only helps to support to local economies where we travel, but also provides a more authentic experience for our guests, who get to try regional food and more.
- Best of all… biking! One of the sustainable practices most near and dear to our hearts is at the core of business: biking. Discovering destinations by bike is a fantastic way to reduce the impact you have on the local environment.
Working with Green Partners:
For many years, we have been supporting People For Bikes, an organization dedicated to making biking more accessible to all. We believe that commuting by bike should be a safe, enjoyable option for more people and have been proud of the work done by People for Bikes in making this a reality.
Show your Support
More recently, our trip design team and sustainability team developed and sent out a 16-question sustainability survey to all of our hotels, collecting information about the sustainability practices they have in place. This survey will help us determine if current and future partners are taking action to be good stewards to guests and the planet.
Get to know a couple of our hotels that are finding ways to make a positive impact for the planet:
UNDER CANVAS
From Mount Rushmore to Glacier, Under Canvas has eliminated single-use plastic wherever possible and utilizes pull-chain showers and low-flow toilets to significantly reduce water usage compared to most hotels.
EARTHBOX INN & SPA
Located in Washington’s charming San Juan Islands, this inn uses body care products from the local, organic Pelindaba Lavender Farm, which are provided in bulk dispensers to cut down on plastic waste.
